


Smile For Me

by FiveTail



Category: Death Note
Genre: Airplane Sex, Banter, Dry Humping, F/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 22:26:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5472806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiveTail/pseuds/FiveTail
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yeah, I had a Death Note OC back in 2009. Yeah, I shipped her with L. Yeah, I'm reposting this PWP smutfic to AO3 in 2015 where everyone I know can see it. I've lost control of my life and I got nothing to hide at this point.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Smile For Me

**Author's Note:**

> [Once upon a time,](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4270327/1/Until-Life-Does-Us-Part) I had 50 pages of notes reworking Death Note canon to incorporate Beyond Birthday, and so that L died closer to the end of the series rather than smack-dab in the middle. Then I watched Death Note 2: The Last Name and realized it had preemptively stole my precious ending.
> 
> Tanaka Yoshimi was one of the characters I added to the storyline. She was Souichirou's understudy in the NPA's Forensics Department. She's a 4'11" severe alcoholic who wears a bow in her hair and listens to classical music. [Here's what she looks like.](http://go-devil-dante.deviantart.com/art/commission-fisting-L-121020010)
> 
> Although the writing is hella old, I still think this story's kinda cute.

It started with a key.  
  
The key used to unfasten Yagami Light’s handcuffs. The key that marked his freedom.  
  
Yes, it all began with that single, tiny metal lock-opener signaling the birth of a milestone in the murder investigation, clearing Light and Misa’s names and all legitimate speculation of their being the first and second Kira along with it. Truth be told, Ryuuzaki was aware this finding made the probabilities of his impending death draw higher and higher; in preparation, he immediately decided to resolve any unfinished business in his life before it was far too late. Some things could be settled over a phone call; other things were best done in person.  
  
It was no longer than two days following the case breakthrough when the detective finalized the arrangements for the impromptu flight to England.  
  
The direct flight to Winchester had several columns of seats containing three in each row. Aizawa, Ide, and Souichirou shared a line by the window, with Matsuda, Tanaka, and Mogi in the aisle seats neighboring them. Whilst the former three took their time discussing further plausibilities regarding the Kira case, the younger triad spent the next eleven and a half hours playing card games with whatever unexchanged currency they had left in their pockets.  
  
(Mogi, being the closet Hanafuda champion he was, ended up winning their tables clean.)  
  
Of course, this seating order meant Misa, Light, and Ryuuzaki sat by one another in the other window row on the opposite side of the plane. Their relations started off as decent as they could have been, but a combination of Ryuuzaki’s persistent skepticism and Misa’s over-defensiveness led to a plethora of inevitable debates whose decibel levels were rivaled only by their degrees of inanity.  
  
“Misa-Misa is so glad Light-kun isn’t being blamed for Kira’s killings anymore! Now that we’ve _both_ been proven innocent, Light-kun and Misa-Misa can spend more time with each other without having to bring Ryuuzaki-san along everywhere!”  
  
“For all intensive purposes, neither of you have been proven ‘innocent’. You have been proven ‘not guilty’. There is a distinct difference between the two, Amane-san.”  
  
“Tch, Ryuuzaki-san is just _jealous_ that Light-kun belongs to Misa-Misa again...”  
  
“I assure you jealousy has nothing to do with it. If Amane-san would simply admit that the evidence insinuating her as the second Kira was overwhelming...”  
  
“First Kira, second Kira; Misa-Misa is so sick of hearing about them, already! Misa-Misa and Light-kun are innocent! If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Ryuuzaki-san _liked_ being chained up to Light-kun, which just makes Ryuuzaki-san a giant pervert who can’t handle being wrong!”  
  
“...Yagami-kun, I withdraw my inquiry. Please tell Misa to keep quiet.”  
  
“Light-kun, are you going to let him talk to me like that?!?”  
  
The now partially-deaf Yagami Light chose not to play mediator on the flight back home.  


-  


The first-class cabin of the plane returning to Japan comprised of multiple rows accommodating only two people each. Clinging to her boyfriend like stink on rice, Misa refused to hear of an arrangement not involving her and her beloved Light-kun sitting together, which invariably led to Ide and Aizawa taking the seats in front of the two teens, with Souichirou and Mogi to the rear of them. Matsuda somehow managed to contract food poisoning immediately prior to the flight’s departure, which forced him to claim an empty seat in the far back in order to be closer to the restroom.

This left Ryuuzaki and Tanaka, who were seated together near the front of the plane.

Although ‘inexplicably isolated from the rest of the task force’ (as Tanaka put it), consolation came in the form of plush carpeting, ample leg room, and a perky young attendant who grinned too much for her own good. No decent human being would complain while receiving such five-star treatment, so that’s exactly what Tanaka did during the next nine hours of the flight: not complain.

As a matter of fact, she chose not to say very much at all.

Ryuuzaki had loosened his seat belt and assumed his most comfortable position, with his legs pulled up against his chest and his bare feet resting on the corner edge of his chair. His temporary travel companion was snuggled up with various items of courtesy airline bedding, laying with her back facing him and her long, black hair a tousled mess behind her. She’d been idle for the past six hundred and thirty-seven seconds, he observed, even though it was more than obvious she couldn’t get to sleep no matter how hard she tried.

“Would Tanaka-kun care for something to eat?”

Tanaka Yoshimi twitched, opening whichever eye wasn’t currently obstructed by a fluffy cotton pillow. Normally favoring the ‘-san’ honorific for associates who weren’t Yagami Light, Ryuuzaki only started using the ‘-kun’ suffix on her and Matsuda when the two successfully proved themselves capable of acting as Denueve and Coil during the course of the Kira investigation. Admittingly, it was quite strange, having someone as revered as L recognizing (or at least pretending to recognize) someone as conventional as you were as a respected peer.

Suffix or no suffix, Ryuuzaki’s question was undeniably bizarre, considering the fact that reclining in one’s seat with a blanket wrapped around oneself pointed more towards tiredness than lingering appetite.

“Are you hungry, Ryuuzaki-san?”, she asked politely, pulling the sheets tighter around herself.

“Not particularly.”

“So...you’re hoping the suggestion of food will help to alleviate your boredom?”

“Seeing as Tanaka-kun hasn’t yet fallen asleep, it seems to be working so far.” he said in response, examining the desserts menu.

Taking note of Ryuuzaki’s selected reading, Tanaka gave a quiet laugh under her breath. “Don’t you need some other sources of nutrients once in a while, Ryuuzaki-san?”

“Sugar benefits all parts of the body, Yoshimi-kun. It depends on what you use to top the cake.”

“Ah, I see.” she answered with unconcern, turning back to resume her futile attempts at sleep. “If you have any trouble deciding, I’m sure the flight attendant would be more than happy to point out which toppings will help you achieve maximum nutritional value.”

“I don’t believe I will bother her at the moment, assuming how painful it must be.”

“Painful?”

“Constantly smiling in such a manner.”

“Well, she doesn’t get paid to _not_ smile at passengers.”

“Litotic logic aside, my concern lied moreso within the realm of the constant facial trauma causing permanent nerve damage...”

“Only you would consider smiling ‘facial trauma’, Ryuuzaki-san.” , she mused.

“Fashions of bodily language are methodical tactics of their own kind.” he continued pensively. “The attendant smiles to make her customers smile. Smiling releases endorphins. Endorphin-influenced passengers do not lodge complaints.”

“Since the attendant hasn’t made you smile once, I think it would be best to start lodging those complaints as soon as possible. Heaven knows she deserves it.”

“I smile when the situation warrants it.” he said, ignoring Tanaka’s sarcasm and looking slightly baffled as to why she’d believe anything otherwise.

She sighed. “I would remember something like that.”

“There hasn’t yet been a situation which warranted it.”

“Self-insertion logic aside, I really don’t think _smiling_ would serve as sufficient evidence in court for being a deceitful, self-centered liar.”

“Tanaka-kun criticizes my methods a lot more than Yagami-kun does. Perhaps I should consider this evidence as well.”

“Yeah, well, you started it.” she muttered, only after the fact realizing how childish she sounded.

“Yoshimi-kun isn’t smiling anymore. Doesn’t she like endorphins?”

Realizing for the umpteenth time in her life that it was pointless to argue, Tanaka kept her mouth shut.

“Now, this isn’t like Light-kun at all. Light-kun would have most certainly thought of something clever to retort with by now...”

“Ryuuzaki-san, if Light is such a superior neighbor, why don’t I do both you and I a favor and ask him to trade seats with me?”

“The seat-belt sign is lit. If Tanaka-kun insists on leaving now, she will be scolded by the flight attendant.”

“At least she won’t be smiling.”

Ryuuzaki watched Tanaka abandon her quest for slumber and readjust her chair back to its upright position, packing away her pillow and folding her blanket into a neater, compact rectangle. Although she didn’t appear to be the slightest bit agitated (for some mysterious reason), Tanaka was being oddly quiet today, even by her standards; according to Ryuuzaki’s reasoning, the phenomenon could only mean one thing.

“Does Tanaka-kun find herself attractive?”

Tanaka turned to face him, looking defensive. “Where did that come from?”

“Amongst the several topics she discussed with Yagami-kun, a recurring theme with Amane-san was declarations of how much she hated the way she looked, even though she is constantly held in high regard by the public for her beauty.” Ryuuzaki recounted thoughtfully. “If a woman’s ego is inversely proportional to the amount of voiced concern she places into her appearance, your silence has proven your egotism to exceed even that of Kira’s himself. This is evidence worth considering.”

Vaguely resembling a fish out of water, Tanaka gaped soundlessly in disconcertment. “I...you...she...”

“Please answer the question.”

“Ryuuzaki-san, the character of a person can’t be calculated using a universal _equation_.” she huffed, shaking her hands around as if he’d committed some kind of obnoxious blasphemy. “I mean, just because _you_ have a huge ego, that doesn’t mean you can file everyone else on earth away in your neat little psychoanalytic color-coded boxes. It’s completely unfair to the individual.”

“The difference is that I am not a woman.” he said. “I am, on the other hand, attempting to decipher what Tanaka-kun was hoping to accomplish when she indirectly alluded that I was attractive.”

“...”

“Perhaps with that reply, you are attempting to reveal my answer before I can analyze yours, for what you believe I consider myself is a direct implication to what I believe you consider yourself. A suprisingly keen response...but Yoshimi-kun does not think very highly of her physical appearance, does she?”

She laughed. “If we were all Amane Misas, Ryuuzaki-san, she wouldn’t be as special as she is today.”

“Placing yourself within the category of a professional model five years younger and five centimeters taller than you is an inequitable and discriminatory comparison.” he said. “No, I believe Yoshimi-kun is very pretty.”

“Thank you.”

“Expressions of gratitude aren’t required when one is stating the obvious.”

Tanaka felt herself redden, in spite of her will. Before she allowed herself to jump to any unnecessary conclusions, the fact struck her that it was _Ryuuzaki_ who had just called her _pretty_. It was obvious he was playing mind games, trying to get something out of her. She was being suspected of something unknown, but why on earth would Ryuuzaki be so blatant about it by acting so horrifically out of character? Surely, he didn’t think her a fool?

“What is Tanaka-kun thinking?”

She turned to him sharply. When she realized his inquiring eyes had been on her from the start, she recognized he was employing a familiar strategy, asking another one of those questions to which he already knew the answer and judged his subject’s innocence based on their response.

“The blood from your face is draining rapidly and you are beginning to perspire.” he continued, hands resting casually on top of his knees. “Your flustering is directly proportional to our proximity.”

“You’re wrong.” she replied, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

It failed, of course. The correct answer would have been ‘I’m not flustering’.

Ryuuzaki tipped forward, closing the gap between them until their noses were almost touching.

“What is Tanaka-kun thinking now?”

Completely unhesitant, she touched her forehead against his and gave him her most wearied sneer.

“What do you want me to think?”

His blank expression remained constant even as he pulled away, their contact over almost as quickly as it came.

“Taking into account Yoshimi-kun’s personality, there was only a four percent chance a physical interaction would be her response.” he said, unwavering. “Either she is being intentionally unpredictable for a reason or she is much more impulsive than I first suspected...”

“...have you ever even been _touched_ by a woman before?”

“My line of business allows neither room nor time for personal affairs. You of all people should understand this, Tanaka-kun.”

 _Ouch._ “I take it you’ve never been in a relationship before, either.”

“Not on an intimate level. I take it you have?”

“I take it you already know the answer to that.”

“Before you joined the task force, you were in relations with a fellow investigator.” he said, not sounding very interested at all. “What I don’t know is why you are no longer involved in those relations.”

“He thought I was someone I wasn’t.”

“This man doesn’t sound like a very observant person. Yoshimi-kun isn’t very hard to figure out.”

“If you didn’t know me by now, Ryuuzaki-san, I admit I’d be rather disappointed in you.”

“Our time constraints have allowed for adequate familiarization...somehow, I gather Matsuda-kun is much more familiar with you than I am.”

“Working in the same room with someone for weeks on end can do that to a person.” she smirked. “Why so interested in him all of a sudden?”

“Just curious. Exactly how much better does Matsuda-kun know Tanaka-kun in comparison to her ex-fiancé?”

“Touta-kun and I are very good friends. That being said, we’ve both come to an understanding that he should not, under any circumstances, end up with someone like me.”

“Intelligent?”

“Stubborn.” she corrected, masking her reaction to Ryuuzaki’s insulting flattery. “Touta-kun needs someone as warm and kind-hearted as he is, someone who would stick with him in choosing family over career.”

“I assume Tanaka-kun not wanting a family at this stage in her profession is the sole factor keeping her and Matsuda-kun from becoming a couple, if not the single disagreement that led to the cancellation of her previous engagement.” he concluded. “I was right...Matsuda-kun does know Tanaka-kun much better than I.”

“This task force has been working together for the past eighteen months, Ryuuzaki-san; I’m not sure what you’re trying to accomplish by saying you _don’t_ know all of us like the back of your hand.”

“Yes, except...Tanaka-kun is the only member of the task force who has not once questioned any of my decisions. This is something I still cannot seem to justify.”

“You’re the world’s greatest detective. Is it wrong to trust your judgment?”

“Regardless, I’m only human. Humans are subject to make mistakes from time to time. Maybe Tanaka-kun wants me to believe she blindly respects my judgment, expecting this pretense will make me value her opinion when she seizes a future opportunity to openly object to one of my actions.”

“Maybe Ryuuzaki-san is being an over-analytical _thorn_ who can’t seem to accept a compliment without going out of his way to insult himself.”

“...Tanaka-kun, throughout all my years of investigative work, I must admit that I have never once before been referred to as a ‘thorn’.”

“Ryuuzaki.” she started heavily, briefly finding it miserable that the only way to emphasize her seriousness was to lack a suffix. “Whatever your suspicions of me are, I strongly suggest you recalculate your probabilities before you end up embarrassing the both of us.”

“Yoshimi-kun has never cared for compromising her integrity.” he spouted back firmly. “What she said proves she is more troubled by my suspicion than she is the reasons for that suspicion.”

“Ah. Now you’re going to say it’s a crime to care what you think of me.”

He turned to face her, realizing she had been giving him that aloof, defeated smile she was known all too well for. It was the expression used to signal when one didn’t feel much like arguing anymore: the overwhelmed look which ended conversations, the dismayed smirk which often waited until the other person turned their back before its use.

Ryuuzaki moves with methodical hesitance, lowering his neck to crane forward and touch his lips against hers.

And just like that, the smirk fades.

She isn’t blushing when he pulls away. Her eyebrows crease in concern; her expression simply questions him, bewildered, almost _worried_ about his current state of mind.

“What were the chances you’d take that course of action?”, she asked.

“Point zero three percent.” he replied, thumbnail finding its way to his mouth once again. “Unless, of course, Yoshimi-kun cared to raise the odds.”

His shadowed onyx eyes were locked on her, now, studying hers with the same intent, the same questioning as they’d ever had before, fascinating in their resolution, captivating in their apathy.

(Wait--what?)

Maybe it was anxiety stemming from the lack of sucrose in his system, altering his state of mind and invalidating his better judgement. Maybe it was the prospect of his imminent death and missed opportunities driving him onward. Whatever the secondary cause (the ‘why here’, the ‘why now’), this effect was a result of restrained emotion from years of suppressing all traces of physical desire; it was impulsive, hasty, completely unlike him.

He couldn’t really explain what happened next. Before he knew it, his subordinate had him against the inside wall of the plane and her mouth was on his for the second time that evening.

Ryuuzaki parted his knees just enough to let her slip through; her palms were pushing into his thighs, his chest was pressed up against hers. The kiss they shared was simple and clumsy, as first kisses between short-distance admirers always were.

He took her face into his hands, the innocent gesture intending guilty purpose as he abandoned restraint and stole inside. She played gently animate in return; he was warm and soft and sweet and the sheer enthusiasm was just the same. Tongue tripping over lips and teeth, his impatient curiosity led him to venture deeper; she could feel herself go numb while it happened, and her hand hooked onto his wrist as if from fear of falling.

It was at that moment when she broke away and remembered how to breathe.

Holding his hand against the back of her neck, Ryuuzaki pressed his forehead against hers to keep her from pulling away any further, unwilling to let her temporary daze signal their end. Somber gaze still unwavering, he looked up at her, concerned-- _compassionate_ , even--whilst the corners of his mouth remained still in their contrarily apathetic cast.

“I hope Yoshimi-kun will pardon my enthusiasm.”

The younger detective avoided her superior’s gaze, instead leaning forward to hold him in her arms. She felt him return the gesture with a hand and carefully push her loose hair behind her ear with the other; he made a small sound of content which she found to be wholly adorable.

A life with him was a life with risk, a life of silence, a life in secrecy. Personal relationships were compromising targets of future blackmail, which is why Ryuuzaki had never taken an interest in urges of the flesh, let alone view one of his own associates in such a light. All those he worked with placed him on a pedestal; it happened so often, both sides lost sight of the fact he was human.

Admittingly, it was quite strange, feeling wanted by someone who, at the same time, revered you.

Ryuuzaki tries to excuse this moment, telling himself this is all for sake of the investigation. Her scent will contribute to solving this case, her warmth is somehow integral to finding Kira. He’s doing this for a constructive reason, of course, just one he hasn’t figured out yet. He finds it disturbing that his reasoning cannot justify this. He finds it pitiful that his logic has tried to.

He’s not sure if he’s ready.

The sight of her laying between his folded knees, the feel of her head resting against his neck, the clean, subtle taste of her still in his mouth. Contentment should have been a prelude. Platonicy should have been sufficient. A kiss should have been excessive. He shouldn’t have wanted so much more as badly as he did now.

A warm rush of unfamiliar longing surged through him, the signs of unimpeded physical appetite appearing in the form of blood rushing to a part of himself other than his brain.

(Had those years of strict abstinence taught him nothing?)

His heart skipped a beat. It was impossible for her not to have noticed.

“Yoshimi-kun...” he whispered, so quiet he was unsure he’d even spoken it. “I’m certain I do not have to inform you that there is a perfectly legitimate biological reason for this.”

“You shouldn’t be so embarrassed about yourself, Ryuuzaki-san.”

He hadn’t even realized she’d been kneeling right over him.

She tilts her head to the side and makes her hair fall loose again. She smiles graciously, almost unbearably so. “What is Ryuuzaki-san thinking?”

_Have you done this before?_

_Have you done this with him?_

Ryuuzaki’s expression fell. At one point in her life, she’d been engaged to a determinedly selfish fellow investigator in the NPA. Even then, she believed that it was love; even then, she believed she was doing the right thing. If it was possible for her to make such a dreadful error in judgement before...

“Will we become each other’s mistakes, Yoshimi-kun?”

She kissed him on the forehead and took in the scent of his hair. Inexplicably sweet, just like the rest of him.

She could console him. She could spindle romanticized lies of how of course that would never happen, because she’s found her answer and she only hopes that she is his. She could pretend that love wasn’t just a grown-up version of the Tooth Fairy, how something special will enter your life the moment you stop looking, and how whether or not you lose a few pieces of yourself along the way is meant to be of no consequence.

People aren’t the mistakes, she wishes she could say. It’s the memories they leave behind which become misplaced regret.

But him--L, Ryuuzaki, her colleague, her partner--was naive to the ways of human emotion, and she was presented with the virtuous responsibility of presenting him with a soft landing. She would never let him feel the way she once did, because he was lucky enough to never experience the suffering. If he so allowed, she would be his comfort; daresay, she would be his protection.

“I would never regret you, Ryuuzaki-san.”

All that separated him from her were pathetically thin layers of fabric; it was almost ridiculous how perfectly her small frame fitted against his. He was wearing his trademark pair of light blue jeans, which did disconcertingly little to hide himself. She was wearing a loose, knee-length skirt, which allowed her to linger over his unsatiated arousal with nothing but what she was wearing _underneath_ , if, in fact, she was wearing anything at all.

She pushed down against him.

(Turns out she was wearing something, after all.)

Restraining himself to the best of his ability, Ryuuzaki clasped against his armrests and let out a stifled breath, restricting his desired movement to a small shift of his legs in surprise.

“I may not have satisfactory experience in this field...” he said slowly, finding it harder and harder not to stammer. “Yet I believe it is common knowledge that clothes must come _off_ before engaging in acts of a sexual nature.”

Another guileless smirk graces her lips. “This is less compromising.”

“You’re attempting to achieve mutual climax by means of friction alone?” He sounded surprised it was even possible. “Tanaka-kun, this is highly unnatural...are the physics of this performance biologically sound?”

“Goodness sakes, Ryuuzaki--for three minutes of your life, just _stop talking_.”

He felt her close the gap between them, and he was shown exactly how effective friction could be.

She leaned her hands against the back of his chair and moved herself over his jeans, sliding up against him in the most agreeable way possible. He couldn’t help but groan this time around; the pressure between them was infinitely more delightful than he first imagined, and he wasn’t about to let her get away with doing it just once.

Ryuuzaki’s hands abandoned their clench on the armrests and made their way to grasp Tanaka’s waist, slipping below her clothes to make delicate contact with warm skin, pulling her harder onto himself repeatedly to satisfy his need for even firmer contact. The soft heat growing beneath the smooth rustling of fabric heightened in intensity; he began kissing at the underside of her neck, lips deliberately slow and tender against her skin as his hands were left free to travel beneath her shirt, over her sides, twisting in the straps of her bra; it was hard for her to keep track of the man’s quick fingers and agile touch, nearly animalistic in his desire.

“R--Ryuuzaki...” she half-laughed, half-sighed against him.

Without warning, Ryuuzaki compromised their position and sat up, forcing his partner to lean backwards against the chair in front of them for leverage. His hands moved from their grip on a petite waist, roughly tugging her skirt up her legs and gaining a hold onto either of slim thighs. It was an extremely awkward position, one which would probably leave Yoshimi aching in the morning, but Ryuuzaki was sure to keep her in place as he continued pushing himself against her.

He’s nervous, yet eager; he feels the need to prove that he’s done this before, even though the contrary was made almost painfully obvious. He pulled tighter, closer, harder, reaching up against a part of her he’d left untouched until now, kissing her so hard it hurt. Her back arches into him and there’s a jolt of excitement down his spine; she moans against his lips and it tastes delectable.

“Do you wish to alert the entire cabin of our misconduct?”

The steadiness of his voice almost makes her feel embarrassed towards the fact that her, the ex-fiancée, was more reluctant in this situation than the assumed virgin; the annoyed noise which escaped her throat was less intimidating than she wanted it to be, and she shakes her head begrudgingly.

“Then Yoshimi-kun should try keeping quiet during this part.”

One of Tanaka’s arms was splayed across Ryuuzaki’s shoulders as she used the other to vise her fingers through his naturally disheveled hair, light enough to be polite but strong enough for him to feel. God, how he hit that _wonderful_ spot each time he pulled himself against her, building up the pressure in the pit of her stomach with each following _push_...

Breathing was becoming difficult to stifle. The long-neglected sensation of physical loneliness had disappeared completely; the feel of him against her was sending him over the edge, to a notional territory with which he was entirely unfamiliar. It was sticky and humid wherever they were now; things were becoming blurrier and blurrier until the passing moments became nothing more than stained memories and dirty smudges in consciousness. He wanted this moment to last as long as he could, but his body continued tempting him to reconsider.

Her clutch on his shirt tightened.

Ryuuzaki released a grasp on Tanaka’s leg and quickly used the freed hand to cover her mouth, reducing her expected sounds to muffled whimpers against his palm. Witnessing her release had immediately triggered his own; he pushed his cheek against the side of her head as his own body tensed hard against hers, voice lowered to a quiet exhale bearing his temporary lover’s name.

Heartbeats slowed to a normal pace. Muscles relaxed, grips loosened; eventually, they caught their breath.

Ryuuzaki’s mind cleared and once more he was rational, once more he was sane. He returned his thoughts to the tangible, redirecting his remembrance to a lit seatbelt sign and a change of clothing within a duffel bag underneath his chair.

Yoshimi had reclaimed proper posture in her seat and simply stared in front of her, partially hating herself for never knowing what to say afterwards. (She’d always been that way.)

“That was pleasant.”

She turned to find him in his all-too-familiar seating position, touching his bottom lip with an index finger and looking up thoughtfully.

Such a professional.

Tanaka reached to massage her lower back, trying to soothe the aching pains now settling in. “Tch...you wouldn’t mind if I sent you the bill for the chiropractor I’ll need to see as soon as we land, would you?”

“Not if Tanaka-kun doesn’t mind the dry cleaning charges for these jeans I will be faxing her in return.”

“Ah, touché.”

“I found no point in proceeding if I couldn’t see the look on your face.” he said, rubbing the area behind his neck. “This factor was vital to the success of this investigation.”

“Investigation?”

“I now know the truth about your past relationships, your current relationships, your opinions of me, and your opinions of yourself, whilst Yoshimi-kun hasn’t gained a piece of intelligence regarding myself that isn’t already common knowledge. I would consider this a successful investigation.”

“...is that really all this was?”

“Of course not.” he ensured. “Yet, I find this justification is...how would Tanaka-kun say...‘less compromising’.”

She couldn’t help but laugh inside. It was perfectly expected of him to sit there as if nothing had happened; neither he nor the task force could have something like this changing him, interfering with his work, mucking up his concentration. Apathy was the staple which held this twistedly newfound relationship together; they couldn’t afford to risk anything more. (Not today.)

Even so, she wasn’t about to go down without a fight.

“I did learn one thing about you that isn’t common knowledge, though.”

“Oh?”

“Mhmm.” she smirked, readjusting her bow. “You smile when you come.”

Ryuuzaki fell deathly silent, his dark bangs drooping over his eyes and first signs of reddening across his pale face.

“My investigation of Tanaka-kun has now become an ongoing one.” he said firmly, calm pronunciation taking an uncharacteristically seductive tone. “I will be continuing it thoroughly once we arrive at headquarters.”

“Most certainly, Ryuuzaki-san.” she replied. “I personally can’t wait to warrant your situation.”  



End file.
